Curse Returns: Eight Extraordinary Skills? I lack nothing.

Only a few top-tier cursed spirits remained atop the high platform, along with the ever-smiling [character/person].

But who cares?

The braziers inside the hall burned with a ghastly green flame, casting the hideous faces of each cursed spirit indistinctly, like a ghostly realm.

The text appears to be a jumbled collection of characters and symbols, possibly from different sources. A direct translation isn't meaningful without further context or clarification.

He knew that everything was going according to plan.

He was also waiting, waiting for the moment when that great cursed spirit would take shape. When he truly mastered that power capable of crushing everything, he would become the only entertainer in this world.

He didn't care about the victory of the cursed spirits, nor about the survival of humanity.

The night wind blew in through the broken dome, stirring the frost-covered trees.

He turned and walked deeper into the platform, his figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.

Behind them, the spirits' discussion continued, rising and falling, their arguments incessant. They discussed how to buy more time, how to collect more fingers, and how to gain the upper hand in the Death Return.

No one noticed that the figure with stitches on his forehead on the high platform had quietly left the hall.

No one noticed that the smile on his lips had deepened even more than before.

On his chessboard, these cursed spirits are merely pieces for the next move.

They thought they were changing the world, but they didn't realize they were just tools being used.

The real chess players, however, are laying out their strategies step by step, in places unseen by the players.

The curtain of a thousand years has just been raised, and a grand chessboard is about to unfold.

He will be the one wielding the chessboard, above everyone else, transcending everything.

Chapter 116 We Need to Eat

Sunlight streamed gently through the gaps in the curtains into Yuuto's two-story house in the courtyard.

This small courtyard was a residence he purchased after transmigrating to this world, thanks to the abundant wealth provided by the system.

Qiong lay on her side on the bed, her long, milky-white hair scattered on the pillow and blankets.

Her hair was soft and smooth, with a faint scent of gardenias, the fragrance of the shampoo and conditioner that Youren had specially chosen for her. Usually, she was carefully combing her hair, but now it was casually loose, adding a touch of lazy gentleness.

A few strands of hair clung to her smooth cheeks, swaying gently with her steady breathing, outlining the soft contours of her face. Her long eyelashes cast a small, light shadow under her eyelids, making her sleeping face even more serene and captivating.

The blanket only covered her waist, revealing her smooth shoulders and delicate collarbones. Her skin glowed a pale ivory white in the morning light, like porcelain just pulled from milk. Her skin was delicate and flawless, without a single blemish.

One arm rested casually on the pillow, the fingertips slightly curled, the slender fingers long and well-proportioned, the nails neatly trimmed.

The blanket piled up softly beside her, outlining a smooth curve from her shoulder to her waist.

Yuuto stood by the bed, his slender fingers slowly and methodically buttoning his shirt.

He was tall and slender, yet not thin; his physique had become increasingly robust through long periods of combat and training.

Black fabric was draped over his lean body, concealing the faint red marks on his shoulder blades.

Those few red marks were traces left from last night's tenderness, faint yet clear, a unique testament to the intimacy between him and Qiong.

After getting dressed, he glanced down at Qiong, but instead of waking her, he draped his coat over his arm and turned to walk towards the door.

Yuuto walked down the stairs, his destination the study.

As I pushed open the door, a faint scent of ink wafted out.

The study door is made of solid wood and makes a slight creaking sound when pushed open.

The study was small, with an entire bookshelf on the east wall, crammed together with miscellaneous works on literature and history and documents from the world of magic, some of which were even lying horizontally on their spines.

This bookshelf was personally selected by Yu Ren. It occupies the entire wall, reaching all the way to the ceiling, and is filled with all kinds of books.

It includes common historical and literary classics, famous works from China and abroad, as well as various documents, spell analysis, historical records from the world of incantations, and even some about the origin of incantations.

He has never liked tidying up, and his books are placed haphazardly.

Yuuto sat in the chair and leaned back.

The soft cushions hugged his back, relieving the tension and fatigue of the past few days.

He closed his eyes slightly, his mind beginning to sort out the recent situation in the world of sorcery, those hidden crises and strange phenomena.

Furthermore, the constant stream of intelligence from the Spellcasting Alliance kept swirling in his mind, preventing him from truly relaxing.

More than a month has passed since the real person was killed in Shibuya.

The fierce battle that took place in Shibuya is still thrilling to recall.

As a calamity-level cursed spirit, the True Man possesses techniques to alter the form of souls. His methods are cruel and bizarre, and he has harmed countless innocent people, making him a major threat to the world of curses.

Fortunately, I managed to completely eliminate it, thus resolving a major hidden danger.

However, the world of sorcery still faces many crises.

First of all, the Pale Knight has vanished into thin air over the past month.

As one of the most mysterious and powerful enemies in the world of sorcery, it acts in a secretive and ruthless manner, and its methods are unpredictable, making it a huge threat.

In the past, even without large-scale unrest, traces of his actions could always be found, or sorcerers would be attacked by him. But now, for a whole month, there has been no news about the Pale Knight.

It was as if this terrifying being had never existed; this unusual silence was more unsettling than his frequent appearances.

The group of cursed spirits, led by Louhu and Huayu, also disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.

Louhu, as a top-tier cursed spirit, wields powerful fire magic, has a volatile and warlike personality, and is keen on destroying the human world.

Hua Yu is skilled at manipulating plants, using unpredictable techniques and possessing exceptional stealth abilities.

Both are recognized as high-risk cursed spirits in the world of sorcery, and they are active in various places all year round, causing all kinds of disasters.

In addition to that, there is also 髡飧鑫Ｏ杖宋铩�

But now, all those who used to stir up trouble have vanished without a trace, and the whole world is eerily quiet.

The Spells Alliance would naturally not allow this silence to continue.

As the core organization governing the world of sorcery, the Sorcery Alliance is responsible for exorcising cursed spirits and protecting civilians, and it is well aware that this sudden calm is by no means a good thing.

After all, this is not a normal, quiet, and peaceful state of affairs.

Normal calm is when cursed spirits are effectively controlled, sorcerers perform their duties, ordinary people live and work in peace, and the fluctuations of cursed power tend to be stable, rather than when all high-risk threats disappear at the same time. Such abnormal silence must be hiding an unknown conspiracy.

Instead, it is an increasingly chaotic world, a time of great strife.

The effects of the cursed energy tide continue, with the total amount of cursed energy worldwide constantly increasing. Japan, as the region with the most frequent breeding of cursed spirits and the highest concentration of cursed energy, is bearing the brunt of the impact.

The Spellcasting Alliance dared not slacken in the slightest and immediately mobilized spellcasters from all over the country to form reconnaissance teams, divide the areas, and conduct a comprehensive investigation.

Whether it's a deep mountain forest that's been infested with cursed spirits for years, or a city that has experienced turmoil caused by cursed spirits, reconnaissance teams can be found everywhere.

The team members were fully equipped, carrying spell power detectors and spell tracking talismans, and carefully checked every place that might be hiding danger, not daring to miss any clues.

However, each time, the result was the same: nothing was accomplished.

All the reports brought back were exactly the same.

All were normal.

No trace of top-tier cursed spirits was found, no activity of high-risk cursed spirit groups was detected, and even the number of low- to mid-tier cursed spirits that were usually everywhere had been reduced by more than half. The fluctuations in cursed power in various places had become more moderate, as if all the dangers had vanished into thin air.

This is an extremely abnormal phenomenon. The creation of cursed spirits stems from negative human emotions, and as long as negative human emotions exist, cursed spirits will not completely disappear.

Especially given the continuous increase in the total amount of curse power, the number of curse spirits should have increased rather than decreased, and the probability of the birth of high-level curse spirits should have greatly increased. It is impossible for such a near-extinction situation to occur.

Because the total amount of magical power in the entire world, especially in Japan, is still increasing.

Given the ever-increasing total amount of magical power, there's no reason why only low-level magical spirits should be born, and not high-level ones.

Low-level cursed spirits have a low threshold for birth, and can be formed with a small amount of cursed power, while high-level cursed spirits require a large amount of cursed power and the nourishment of strong negative emotions.

With the total amount of curse power continuing to rise and negative emotions never dissipating, the birth of high-level curse spirits should be a natural occurrence.

However, in the past month, the entire Spellcraft Alliance has found very few high-level spell spirits, and has not even seen any special-grade ones.

In the past, news of high-level cursed spirits appearing and sorcerers suffering heavy casualties would frequently come from some place, but now there is no news at all. This stark contrast is unsettling and eerie.

After thinking about it for a long time without being able to figure it out, Yuuto simply gave up.

He was never one to dwell on things, so faced with this bizarre situation that was completely unpredictable and impossible to understand, he decided to let things take their course rather than waste his energy on wild speculation.

When water comes, dam it; when soldiers come, block them. Rather than guessing your opponent's moves in the dark, it's better to wait for them to make their move and then counter accordingly.

There are no foolproof plans in this world. Whether it's a battle between sorcerers or a fight against cursed spirits, there is never a foolproof strategy; variables are always present.

Planning ahead for everything can sometimes backfire. Instead of being effective, it can lead to being exploited by opponents and finding yourself in a passive position due to overthinking and rigid thinking.

Countless battles in the past had taught him that adaptability was the key to survival in this world.

He leaned back in his chair, twirling the lighter in his hand, about to get up to make a cup of tea, when his phone suddenly vibrated.

Yuuto picked it up and saw that it was a message from Gojo Satoru.

"In spring, I have a glorious task to entrust to you. I wonder if you are willing to undertake it?"

Yuuto stared at the screen for two seconds, then his lips twitched.

A glorious mission?

These four words, coming from Gojo Satoru's mouth, sound utterly unreliable.

He thought for a moment and typed a reply: "Let me first introduce the glorious mission you mentioned."

Finally, he added, "Don't add filters, just tell the truth."

After sending the message, he put his phone on the table, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface, waiting to see what would pop up on the other end.

The tapping of fingertips on the solid wood table produced a rhythmic, soft sound that was particularly clear in the quiet study.

He lowered his eyes slightly, already prepared to deal with all sorts of bizarre tasks, wondering what outrageous things Gojo Satoru would come up with to torment him this time.

"Recruiting for first-year students!!!" Gojo Satoru replied to the message very quickly.

The three exclamation marks are enough to show how much importance Gojo Satoru attaches to this matter, and also suggest that this matter is probably more troublesome than he imagined.

Yuuto frowned slightly upon seeing this. It wasn't that he disliked Gojo Satoru's words, but rather that he was impressed.

I'm amazed at how fast time has passed. It's been almost half a year since I transmigrated to this world.